Carrier for disappearing doors



R. R. LEEDS CARRIER FOR DISAPPEARING DOORS Apr. 3, 1923. i l n 1,450,729

Filed" Dec. s, 1921 2 sheets-sheen 1 Apri 3, 1923. 1,450,729

R. R. LEEDS CARRIER FOR DISAP'PEARING DOORS Filed Dec.- B, 1921 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Apr. 3, 1923.

emrah affari-:s

1,450,729 PATENT oFFicE.

ROBERT R. LEEDS, F ASHLAND, OHIO,'ASSIGNOR T0 THE 'IOPPING MANUFCTURIN f C0., OF ASHLAND, OI-IIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO. f

CARRIER FOR DISAIPEARING DOORS.

Application filed December 8, 1921. Serial No. 520,938.

To all fw hom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT R. LEEDS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio,

have invented a new and useful Carrier for Disappearing Doors, of whichA the following is a specification.

My invention relates lto a carrier for disappearing doors, and is vespecially useful in wardrobes and the like.

The usual type of vertical disappearing door has pivots or rollers attached to the upper and lower edges, which move in suitable guides carried by the cabinet. Such doors may be swung to open position and then slid backwardly into the lcabinet to disappearing position. Doors as so constructed often fail to slide properly and stick, and such doors are likely to sag at the end.

provide a novel carrier for disappearing doors which will operate smoothly and with but little friction.

It is a more specific object to provide a 25 carrier which extends the full height of the ing door in one direction.

I' 35 Other and minor oh'ects willbe apparent as the specification proceeds.` .e

The' above objects may be attained by the l embodiments of my invention rshown vin the illustrative drawings accompanying and 10 formingpart of this application.

- In the 'drawingsi i' Figure 1 is a partially diagrammatic view of a pair of disappearing` doorsfra cabi- Het; i. i. v.

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of a disappearing'door when in position to be moved to the 'inward position,`parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of a'detail;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view ltaken'substantially in the plane ofthe line44 of Fig. 1, parts being brokenV away; and f Fig."5 vis a fragmentary detail view of a lmodification.

It is the general object of my invention to y Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail showing two doors and a mullion carried by a'single hanger.

In said drawings, 6, 7 indicate a pair of disappearing doors. As is well known to those skilled in the art, such doors may be swung to the open position and then slid inwardly so as to not obstruct the passage in front of the cabinet. Ahanger bar or carriage 8 is vprovided for each door. 'This hanger bar 8 preferably extends the full height of the door, and is itself mounted for sliding in the cabinet independently of any connections to the door.

One end of the hanger bar, in the instance shown the lower end, is provided with a truck,.which is adapted to slide along or carry the hanger bar on a suitable track 9. In the form shown, the truck includes pairs of rollers 10, 11, pivoted at 12 and 13 to the cross piece or beam 14,which is secured to the lower end of the hanger bar 8. As will be seen, these rollers co-operate with one side of the track 9 and are spaced apart from each other and are on opposite ysides of the hanger bar. Other rollers 15 cooperate with the opposite side of the track 9. These rollers are pivoted at 17 on a cantilever or beam 16 secured to and projecting laterally from the lhanger bar 8. In the present disclosure the rollers 15 are spaced from the hanger bar a distance different from'thespacing of the other rollers, and, as shown in Fig. 4, the rollers 15 extend beyond the rollers 11. This, as rwill be later explained., ensures smooth action and tends to prevent the door fromy Sassins- In the form shown, the track 9 is mounted in the vlower portion vof, a cabinet, and the trackpreferably extends up to the plinth 18,

and a space is provided beneath the sill 19 for'accommodation of the rollers 15.

The other end' of the hanger bar 8, in this case' the upper end, is guided by' means ofa stem 20, sli'dably mounted in the bracket or track member 21 carried by an upper portion of the cabinet. vIn the form shown spacedfrollers 22, 23 are attached tothe stem 20 and roll on suitable tracks 211, 24. In the present instance` the weight of the door is at least partially sustained by the upper guide and carrier. If 'desire`d,`the stem 20 maybeadjustable relatively'to the hanger bar 8, 'to"`comp'ens'ate for'sli'ght variationsI construction and to compensate for wear. In the form shown nuts secure the stem 2O to the hanger bar.

It will be seen that in the construction as thus far described the carrier is in itself a complete unit and may slide to disappearing position independently of any door connection.

The door 7 is pivotally connected to the hanger bar 8. In the instance shown brackets 26, 27 are attached to the hanger bar and the door is pivotally connected to said brackets, as by means of pivot pins 28, 29. If desired, one or both of these brackets may be adjusting up and down relatively to said hanger bar, and for this purpose I have indicated a series of apertures 30 for receiving the elements holding the brackets to the hanger bar.

When the door is swung outwardly it is desirable that it be stopped in proper position sd as to be slid back to disappearing position without unduly contacting with the other parts of the cabinet. Means to limit the swing of the door in one or both directions are provided. In the present instance plates 31 (which may constitute hinge plates) are carried by the door and have abutment surfaces 82 thereon. The brackets 26, 27 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 carry pins 33 for co-action with the abutments 32. The hanger bar being limited in its movement to a forward and back sliding motion, it will be obvious that, when the door is opened, its limit of swing will be determined by the stop means 32, 33. If desired, the door may be provided with a second abutment 34C, for' contacting with the pin 33 to limit the extent of swing of the door in the other direction. It will be obvious, however. that suitable jambs are preferably provided for limiting the swing of the door into the closed-door position. In the form showny similar stop means are also provided. for the lower end of the door.

In Fig. 5 I have shown the two pairs of rollers 10, ll of the lower truck as positioned above the track 9, whereas the rollers l5 are positioned below the track.

'In Fig. 5 the rollers l5 are also spaced a distance from the hangerbar different from that of the other rollers, but in the present modification it is spaced nearer to the hanger than either of the others. In that form it will be obvious that the hanger will be prevented from tilting in either forward orbackward direction, whereas, in the form shown in Fig. 4, were it not for the upper guide and carrier for the hanger, the latter would be permitted to tilt in the backward direction.

In Fig. 6 has vbeen disclosed a slight modifica-tion in which two doors 7 7 and a mullion 35 are carried by a single hanger bar 8. The mullion may be secured to a bracket such as 26 and the doors may be pivotally connected thereto as at 29', 29. Suitable stops may be provided for limiting the swing of one or both doors in one or both directions, the operation being substantially the same as in the case of one door heretofore described.

The operation is as follows:

lVhen it is desired to open the door and slide it to disappearing position, the door is swung outwardly in the usual manner until it is substantially parallel with the track members carried by the cabinet. If the co-operating stops means to limit the swing of the door in its outward direction are provided, the door is swung as far as permitted by said stop means. The door is then pushed so as to cause the entire carrier to be slid inwardly, and the door is, of course, carried inwardly along therewith. The full-line position of the parts in Fig. shows the door in closed position, while lthe dotted line position of the parts shows ythe door after the same has been swung to open position and sli'd back into disappearing position.

It will be seen that the rollers l5 not only serve to support at least a part of the weight of the door and carrier, but the rollers l5 and l0 act to prevent the door from sagging. In some instances it may not be necessary to provide the upper hanger carriage, since the lower truck will properly support the parts. It is, however, desirable to have at least a guide for both the upper and the lower sides of the door.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a carrier for disappearing doors which is simple and effective for the purpose intended. The carrier may be used for doors and door openings of various sizes, and the operation will be smooth. The doors are not likely to stick or jam, and sagging is prevented.

IVhile I 'have described in great detail forms in which my invention may be embodied, I wish it understood that some features of the invention may be used in connections other than those shown, and that various changes may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a carrier for disappearing doors and in combination with a cabinet, a hanger bar, a pair of brackets on said hanger bar, a door pivotally connected to said brackets, an upper guide and carrier for said hanger bar, a lower truck for said hanger bar, and a track for co-operation with said lower truck. said lower truck including a pair of rollers on pivots spaced from said hanger bar and located respectively at the front and rear sides of said bar, said rollers co-operating with one side of said track and another roller co-operating with the other side of said track and spaced from one of said sides of said hanger bar, said pivoted door and brackets having co-operating stop means for limiting the swing of the door in one direction.

2. In a carrier for disappearing doors, a hanger bar, a door pivotally connected to said hanger bar, means for guiding one end of said hanger bar, a truck for the other end of said hanger bar and co-operating with a track, said truck including a pair of spaced rollers pivotally mounted on said hanger bar and on opposite front and rear sides thereof and co-operating with one side oit' said track to sustain vertical load, and another roller pivotally mounted on said hanger bar and spaced a different distance from the latter, saidl last mentioned roller being on the side of the track opposite to said first-mentioned rollers.

3. In a carrier tor disappearing doors, a hanger bar for pivotally supporting a door, means for guiding one end oi said bar, a truck for the other end of said bar and adapted to co-operate with a track, said truck including a pair of spaced rollers pivotally mounted 'on opposite front and rear sides of the bar and adapted to co-operate with one side of a track forsustaining vertical load, and another roller pivotally mounted on said hanger bar and adapted to co operate with the opposite side of said track, said last-mentioned roller being spaced from the hanger bar a distance different from the spacing of one of the rollers on the other side of the track.l

4c. In a carrier for disappearing doors, a hanger bar for pivotally supporting a disappearing door, a track, a truck for one end of said hanger bar and including apair of rollers pivotally connected to -said hanger bar and on opposite front and rear sides thereof, said rollers co-operating with one side of said track for sustaining vertical load, and another roller pivotally connected to said hanger bar and co-acting with the opposite side of said track, and means fory guiding the end of said hanger bar opposite said first-mentioned end.

5. In a carrier for disappearing doors, a hanger bar, means for slidably supporting the latter, a door pivotally connected to-said hanger bar, and co-acting stop means carried by said door and hanger bar for determining` the limit of, swing of said door in one direction.

6. In a carrier for disappearing doors, a hanger bar adapted to be slidably supported, a pair of brackets carried by said hanger bar, and a door pivotally connected to said brackets, one of said last mentioned members having a projection thereon and the other of said last mentioned members having a co-acting abutment for co-operation with said projection for determining the limit of swing of said door in one direction. n 7. In a carrier for disappearing doors, a hanger bar adapted to be slidably supported, a bracket adj ustably mounted on said hanger bar, a disappearing door pivotally connected to said bracket, and co-acting stop means on said vdoor and bracket for determining the limit of swing of said door in one direction?.

8. `As an article of manufacture, a carrier for disappearing doors, including a hanger bar for pivotally supporting a door, a truck for one end of said hanger bar, including a pair of rollers on pivots on opposite front and rear sides of said hanger bar and adapted to run on one horizontal side of a track, and a third roller on a pivot on said hanger bar and spaced from each of saidother rollersand adapted to run on the opposite side of the track.

9. In a carrier Jfor disappearing doors, a

hanger bar adapted to be slidably supported,

a door pivotally connected to said hanger bar, and coacting stop means on said door and hanger bar for limiting the swing of said door in the outward direction.

l0. In a carrier for disappearing doors, a

hanger bar adapted to be slidably supported in a cabinet, a bracket on Asaid hanger bar,

a door hinge pivotally mounted on said bracket, a projection on said bracket, said doorhinge having an abutment surface for coaction with said projection for limiting' the swing of said door hinge in the outward direction.v

l1. In a carrier for disappearing doors, a hanger bar for pivotally supporting a door, means for guiding one end of said bar, a track, a truck for the other end of said bar and including a roller at the front of and spaced from said bar and cooperating with one side of said track, and a second roller at the rear of and spaced from said bar and cooperating with the other side of said track, said rollers having bearing surfaces on hori- Zontal portions of said track for sustaining vertical loads.

l2. In a carrier for disappearing doors, a hanger bar for pivotally supporting a door, means for guiding one end of said bar, a truck for the other end of said bar and adapted to cooperate with a track, said truck having spaced apart bearing surfaces at opposite front and rear sides of said bar for cooperation with one side of said track for sustaining vertical load and another bearing surface for cooperation with the other side of said track.

ROBERT R. LEEDS. 

